Fire from the Sky
by The Instrumentalist
Summary: Tenkaji Kumoshiro is your average 16-year-old prodigy Soul Reaper. He has friends and rivals, a cool Zanpaku-to, and he's in Squad 13, the coolest. But he has a dark secret, something that could kill everyone in the Soul Society if he lost control...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all, sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I had this idea for a Bleach fic, so I decided to write it. Please review. Who knows, it could inspire me to update my stories sooner. Anyway, here's my latest story. Enjoy!**

Fire from the Sky

Chapter 1: Tale of the White Cloud

"And then…the Hollow jumped out and ate them all!" little Kishigo shouted, and the rest of the little kids at the campfire jumped and screamed.

"That was scary," one of them said, "You always tell good stories, Kishigo," said another. Kishigo grinned and said, "Yeah, but I'm not as good as Tenji. Right, Tenji?"

That's my name. Or at least, what the kids call me. My real name is Tenkaji Kumoshiro, but for one reason or another, these kids call me Tenji. They lived in the lower West Rukan district of the Soul Society, and hardly any of them had family here, but they had each other, and that was good enough for them.

"I don't know, Kishigo, you tell some pretty good stories," I teased. Kishigo considered me his older brother, mostly because we had the same brown hair and blue eyes, only my hair was longer.

"Tell that one story, about the boy and the Hollow!" Kishigo said excitedly, "Yeah, tell that one!" the others egged on.

"Come on, you guys have heard it tons of times," I replied.

"Not Tenpi, she hasn't heard it yet!" Kishigo said, indicating the youngest of the group with his hands.

"Alright, fine," I agreed, "But it's pretty scary," I said to Tenpi as I picked her up and set her on my lap, "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I can handle it, I'm not scared easily," she said with the confidence of a four-year-old.

"Are _you_ okay with this?" I asked Hanayuri Shanhoshi, Tenpi's older sister, who had long black hair in a braided ponytail, and was my age.

"Yes, I'm fine with it, with you and your big, scary Soul Reaper stories," she giggled. I had made it into Squad Thirteen of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads recently, at the age of sixteen; I was considered a prodigy, and although Hanayuri was happy for me, I couldn't help but notice a little hint of jealousy whenever the term 'Soul Reaper' was mentioned.

"Ok, here it goes…"

_About ten years ago, in the World of the Living, in a place called Karakura town, there lived a small, six-year-old boy. He had brown hair and blue eyes, a lot like someone else we know._

Everybody looked at Kishigo, but Kishigo was already too absorbed in the story to notice. Then everybody turned their attention back to me. I continued the story...

_There was something special about the boy: he could see ghosts, wandering around trying to find peace. The boy lived with his mother, an only child. They would often go on walks together, and the boy would wonder why his mother never paid attention to the ghosts he thought they both saw._

_Then one day, when the boy and his mother were on their way home from one of their walks and the streets were empty, it started raining. They stopped, and the mother pulled out her umbrella, opened it up, and held it above the both of them, and they started walking home while the boy clung to her leg. The boy then looked over toward some bushes, and saw a pair of piercing yellow eyes, and what looked like the outline of a skull around the eyes._

_He buried his face in his mother's leg in fear and stopped walking. His mother stopped and asked what was wrong, and the boy looked toward the bushes again, but he didn't see anything. He told his mother he thought he saw something scary in the bushes, but that it wasn't there anymore._

_He asked her if she could check the bushes to make sure there was nothing there, and she smiled and said she would. But while his mother was looking in the bushes, the boy heard a noise and turned around._

_And he screamed._

_In front of him was a skull-faced monster with yellow eyes. It had long sharp white claws, had a light purple body, and was almost as tall as the street lamp next to it. But its most striking feature was the gaping hole in its chest._

_His mother quickly turned around, but didn't see anything except her son staring in front of him. She asked him what was wrong, but the boy didn't reply. He just stood there, staring._

_The Hollow let out a blood-curdling roar, and said to the boy, "You have high spirit energy, boy, and that makes you tasty, as well as meal choice number one for me!" The boy took a step back, and the Hollow said "Aww, what's the matter? You're not scared are you?" in a menacing tone, "I'm just going to kill you and then devour your soul!" The boy took another step back, and the Hollow raised its claw to attack the boy._

_The mother sensed danger in that instant, and ran in front the boy, with her body facing his; and there was a tearing sound as the Hollow's claw struck the back of the boy's mother, and tore it open, blood spilling on the wet ground. The boy watched with horror as his mother was knocked down by the Hollow._

"_Well, I could always have a snack, too," the Hollow snickered, as he started for the boy, "But you're first!" and the Hollow lunged at the boy. The boy tried to run away, but he was too slow, and he felt the claw of the Hollow tear through his back, then up through his neck, and all he felt was pain. _

_Then suddenly, he felt nothing. He was surrounded by darkness. Then he felt _

_a huge force pulling on him, as if his soul was trying to separate from his body._

_Then, he was staring at the monster again, feeling like he had, before he was struck, except slightly lighter, and there was a chain attached to his chest. Then he looked down, and saw his own body, covered with blood that was slowly being washed away by the rain. He was confused and frightened and wasn't sure what to do next until the monster started for him again, this time with its mouth wide open._

_The boy cringed in fear as the Hollow was about to devour him, but then there was a flash of light and the Hollow cried out in pain. The boy opened his eyes and noticed that the Hollow had turned around and there was a burn mark on his back. _

_The Hollow had turned to see who had fired the kido blast at him, and had found a female Soul Reaper with big blue eyes, and black hair down to her shoulders, her hand extended, palm out, four fingers together, and thumb touching her palm._

"_Soul Reaper…" the Hollow muttered, "I don't want to deal with you right now, so I think I'll go. But first," The Hollow turned around lightning fast and had his claw in the boy's stomach before anybody could react, "A parting gift!" and just as fast as the Hollow had attacked the boy, he disappeared into a rift of darkness._

"_Damn, he got away," the Soul Reaper said as she walked over to the boy, "Well, I guess I should do the Konso now. You're going to go to the Soul Society now, little boy," she said to the boy. But he didn't want to go quite yet. "Don't worry, the Soul Society is a wonderful place, and your wounds will heal too."_

"_But I can't go yet, I need to make sure my mommy's ok," the boy said worriedly. As if on cue, somebody walked over and noticed the two bodies. He called an ambulance, and when it arrived, the medics pronounced the boy dead on the scene, but the mother still had some life left in her, and with immediate treatment and rest, she would be fine._

_With that, the boy conceded and allowed the Soul Reaper to perform the Konso, which healed his wounds as he was transported to the Soul Society._

_But that first night he spent in the Soul Society, in the Rukan district, something awoke in the boy. A mask with purple stripe designs, matching the face of the Hollow that left him a "parting gift," appeared on the boy's face, and he let out the blood-curdling roar of a Hollow._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey readers, here it is, the second chapter, as promised, before the end of the month. Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, but I do own my characters and the plot of this story. Now that that's out of the way, enjoy!**

Chapter 2: The Hummingbird's Song

"And every night since then, you could hear the roar of the boy who became half-Hollow." I said, finishing the story.

"That was so cool," one of the kids said, "How do you come up with that?" another asked, "That was kinda scary," said another.

"Alright you guys-hm?" I had started to say, when I noticed that Tenpi had her head buried in my kimono. "Were you scared, Tenpi?" Tenpi shook her head, which was still buried in my kimono. I smiled. "Alright you guys, time for bed," I said, picking up Tenpi and handing her to Hanayuri.

"Aww, I don't want to," groaned Kishigo, and the others made groans of agreement. There was a slight rustle in the bushes nearby, but I ignored it.

"Well, you have to, sleep is good for the soul." I replied, and they slowly walked toward the alley with the boxes they called home. Only Hanayuri, holding a sleeping Tenpi, remained.

"Sleep is good for you, too, you know," She said to me, as I looked into her gorgeous brown eyes…uh, I mean, as I looked at how cute Tenpi was sleeping in Hanayuri's arms. Hanayuri giggled a little. She must have seen me looking into her eyes; I mean at Tenpi.

"Yeah, I—" I started to say, but then I felt a spiritual pressure I haven't felt in over ten years, only a lot stronger than I remembered. I quickly turned around and put my hand on the hilt of my Zanpaku-to. Hanayuri felt it too, and she started looking around worriedly. Tenpi clutched her sister's clothes.

An evil laugh sounded from the bushes I had heard a noise from earlier. _How did he hide his spiritual pressure?_ I thought to myself.

"It has been a long time, boy," the Hollow from my past said, as he stepped out of the bushes. He was a lot taller and bulkier than the last time I saw him.

"Why are you here? How are you here, for that matter?" I questioned, as I unsheathed my Zanpaku-to a little. "There's no way you could have entered the Soul Society without anyone's knowledge."

"How I got here's none of your business," the Hollow replied, "As for why I'm here," he looked at me hungrily, "I'm here to finish what I started!" as he lunged toward me with a claw raised.

I completely unsheathed my Zanpaku-to in just enough time to block his attack. He swiped with his other claw at me, and it connected with my side, tearing flesh and spilling blood. I winced in pain as I shoved his claw back and lunged at him with a downward slash, but I only grazed his arm.

"Come on, is that all you got, Soul Reaper?" the Hollow taunted, "You're going to end up making this too easy for me."

"The fight's not over until it's over," I replied, as I lunged at him a second time, this time with a horizontal slash. The Hollow dodged and came at me with his claws. I barely dodged his first swipe and blocked the second one, his claw and my sword pushing against one another. I overpowered him and shoved him backward, and charged in with a diagonally upward slash. It cut his body from his left hip up to his right shoulder, blood spilling out as he cried in pain.

"On an ordinary Hollow, that slash would have finished them," he said, breathing hard, "But I'm not an ordinary Hollow, I'm an Adjucha! Remember that 'gift' I gave you?"

My eyes widened as I realized what he had been planning all these years.

"You've figured it out, haven't you?" he said, then he laughed, "That's right; in order to become more powerful, a Hollow must devour other Hollows. That night I gave you your 'gift' I was just testing my special power. When I had heard how well it worked, I decided to do that to all of my human victims. As it turns out, eating half-Hollows made me more powerful faster than if I had stuck to regular Hollows, and I became an Adjucha within a few short years." He eyed me even more hungrily now, "Looking at how powerful you've gotten, and how mature your Hollow half must be, you're sure to give me a big boost to becoming a Vasto Lorde."

Hanayuri took a step back. I had almost forgotten about her during the fight. The Adjucha looked at her. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a snack first," he said, and I was suddenly very angry, "but I prefer my snacks roasted!" he shouted, as a red orb of energy appeared at his mouth. He opened his mouth wider and fired the beam known as a cero right at Hanayuri.

Without thinking about it, I instantly disappeared from where I was standing and reappeared in front of Hanayuri with my sword held upright. The beam came and was deflected just enough to whiz by me and Hanayuri when it contacted my sword.

"Well, well," the Adjucha said, sounding slightly surprised, "I attack you, and you can barely dodge my attacks, but I attack her, and suddenly you can use flash step. Interesting…"

"I have had enough of your games," I said angrily, "Sing, Hachidori!"

At that instant, my sword grew twice as long, and slightly wider as the dull side of the sword turned black. It vibrated with a constant low sound. My now stronger spiritual pressure had been enough to stun the Adjucha for a short moment. I took advantage of that and charged toward him, faster than before.

He raised his claws in defense, and at that time the low sound of my sword skyrocketed in pitch for a split-second as I slashed right through his claws like they were butter. The Adjucha looked confused as I slashed his body the other way, making a bloody X appear with his hole at its center.

He cried out in pain again, "Damn you, boy," He breathed out, "You will pay for this!" he shouted as he charged up another cero. The low pitch of my sword rose again as I did a downward slash right through the center of his head and his body, before he could fire his cero.

His body started to dissolve from his feet upward, and as his head dissolved he said, "You will regret this, boy…" and he disappeared completely. I sealed my Zanpaku-to and put it back in its sheath on my hip as I walked over to Hanayuri, who was still trying to take it all in. Tenpi was still holding on to Hanayuri's clothes and had her eyes shut tight.

"It's ok, it's over now," I said to both of them, and Tenpi opened her eyes and looked at me. I smiled.

"Tenji's hurt!" she said, and suddenly I remembered the wound in my side. I also suddenly felt the pain and winced. I held my hands there, and felt it was still bleeding.

"It's not that bad," I said, and Hanayuri put one hand on her hip and gave me a sarcastic look. Then I felt a little dizzy, and started wobbling. Hanayuri set Tenpi down and ran toward me as I fell and blacked out.

I was standing alone, surrounded by darkness. I could barely see my own hand. Out of the darkness, I heard the roar of a Hollow. Then in front of me appeared a giant purple-striped Hollow mask, like the one that takes over my body every night. The empty eyes suddenly gained yellow pupils, and the mask moved as it opened its mouth and laughed. The laugh terrifyingly similar to the Adjucha I had just defeated.

I awoke with a start as his last words echoed in my mind, _"You will regret this, boy…" _I sat up and winced at the pain from my wound; that was now covered in bandages.

"Easy there, Tenji," an old woman across the room said to me. I realized I was sitting in a bed on the floor of a wooden house. "You don't want to reopen that nasty wound," She cautioned.

"Where am I? Who are you and how do you know my nickname?" I questioned her. She chuckled warmly.

"I'm surprised you don't remember who I am, Tenji." The old woman replied. I looked confused as I tried to remember.

"She's my grandma," I heard Hanayuri say as she walked into the room. My eyes widened as I remembered that she was the person who take care of me when I first came to the Soul Society. I looked at the clock on the wall opposite me and saw that it was a few minutes past midnight.

I was confused, because it was always midnight that the mask of my inner Hollow enveloped my face and took over my body, and that lasted anywhere from fifteen minutes to forty-five minutes. Perhaps it was because I had been unconscious and my Hollow self couldn't take over then. Or maybe it had something to do with my nightmare…

"I have to get out of here, now," I said to the both of them sternly, as I stood up, putting on the top of my kimono, and slightly wincing at my wound.

"No way!" Hanayuri replied, just as sternly, "You're too hurt, and you owe me an explanation; I always had my suspicions about your story, and they were pretty much confirmed out there an hour ago. Now I just need you to explain a few things."

"I'll explain later," I said as I noticed the corners of my eyes started turning black, "But right now, I need to get out of here, for your safety, both of you." I ran out of Hanayuri's grandmother's house, my eyes getting more and more dark, and bolted into the forest surrounding the Rukan district.

Then my eyes turned completely black as I felt a huge upsurge of pain all throughout my body, and I felt the skull-faced mask materialize onto my face. The irises of my eyes turned a bright gold color as I reared my head back and let out a huge, terrifying roar.

I was alone, surrounded by darkness once again. Only this time it seemed different, somehow. This time I felt another Hollow-like spiritual pressure. No, it was definitely the spiritual pressure of an Adjucha. I mentally sighed. I was getting tired of this guy.

Then, out of the darkness, he appeared. "Hello, again, boy," he snickered, "It seems your Hollow half is too powerful for even me to control, however," he grinned, "I can still influence it."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked cautiously.

He gave a sinister chuckle, "It means that right now, I have the power to get you your bankai."

My eyes widened at this. I found it hard to believe, plus I figured there would be a large cost if he helped me obtain my bankai. He laughed, "You're pretty smart. Of course there's a catch, but the decision is entirely up to you." At first I was surprised that he knew my thoughts, but then I remembered that we were inside my mind. I was an open book to him. But for some reason, I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"You want to know what I'm thinking?" he asked rhetorically, "Well, that's just one more thing about me you'll never know."

Suddenly, the darkness disappeared, and I saw things through my own eyes, except I couldn't move or do anything. It was like being in the passenger seat of my own body. I had gone through this before, staring into the night while my Hollow half jumped around the forest. I fought the constant hunger it had, leaving it to just stay in the forest and jump around restlessly, while I tried to hide its spiritual pressure.

Then something happened that had never happened before. Out from behind a tree came a being in Soul Reaper clothes, had blond, spiky hair, and the mask of a Hollow: white with a red stripe pattern, and piercing yellow eyes surrounded by black. He looked at me with those eyes, unsheathed his zanpaku-to, and said, "Ride the wind, Kagerouniiro!" with the distorted voice that comes with the Hollow mask.

His zanpaku-to grew slightly longer and formed a large ring at the end, with the sharp side on the inside and outside of the ring. And then I recognized with horror who he was; my rival since I first joined Squad 13, Kenkaji Mondaichi. He didn't like the fact that he wasn't the only prodigy in the squad, and challenged me to a fight every time he could to prove he was superior, but the fights never finished due to Captain Ukitake's interventions.

But this time the Captain wasn't here, and it looked like Kenkaji planned to prove he was better once and for all. The fact that we both had Hollow masks probably angered him even more, but I couldn't tell if he was in control or not. My Hollow self put my hand on the hilt of my sword. Kenkaji lunged at me and swung his sword down, and my Hollow self drew my sword in time to block it.

My Hollow self then cried, "Sing, Hachidori!" releasing my zanpaku-to, and the sound it emitted went to a higher pitch as it forced Kenkaji's sword back, leaving his sword cracked at the dull part. He cried out with a Hollow's scream and started cutting trees down around him in a violent rage. Apparently, he wasn't in control. Then he released his spiritual pressure, and said one word that widened even the eyes my Hollow self controlled: "Bankai!"

At that instant, his spiritual pressure grew even more powerful, forcing my Hollow self to crouch a little, and his zanpaku-to was now alit with bright red flames. "Nenshou Kagerouniiro!" he said, and the flames gathered around the ring of his sword and grew brighter as he fired huge fireballs at me. My Hollow self dodged the fireballs only to have Kenkaji appear with flash step to the left of me, and swing his red hot sword.

My Hollow self barely blocked the attack in time. The pitch of my sword raised as my Hollow self pushed back against Kenkaji's sword. It was a struggle that Kenkaji was slowly winning. My sword's pitch rose even more as my Hollow self pushed back harder, but we were still losing. Then a thought came to my head, _"Let me help,"_ the Adjucha said, _"It's the only way to save yourself and this forest,"_ and I managed to see with my Hollow eyes that the forest was in fact, burning down. I realized then that I had to let him help. The Adjucha laughed, _"Glad you see it my way,"_ he gloated.

Then, I felt a huge surge through my body, and with the voice of the Adjucha, I said, "Bankai!" At that instant I grew large, thin, feathery wings on my back and my spiritual pressure was released, which quelled Kenkaji's flames enough for me to jump out of the way. "Choo-onsoku Hachidori!" I said, to my surprise, with my own mask-distorted voice. I could move on my own; I was in control of my body again! Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt the Adjucha give a sinister smile.

But I didn't have time for that now. Kenkaji grew even angrier and his sword's flames grew bigger in return. He yelled as he lunged at me again. I fluttered my wings for a second, a loud noise erupted from them, and suddenly I was behind him. It took me a second to realize that I had just broken the sound barrier. Kenkaji was confused and then turned around and saw me.

He narrowed his eyes at me and turned his sword upside-down, and slammed it on the ground, causing a large crack that headed toward me with flames erupting from it. I dodged at the speed of sound again, and reappeared on top of Kenkaji, the flames striking the trees. I raised the pitch of my vibrating sword to an earsplitting screech, and swung it down on the forehead of Kenkaji's mask, but managing to stop before cutting into his skull.

His mask cracked and finally shattered, the pieces disintegrating into the air. He collapsed on the ground, barely breathing, and the flames of his zanpaku-to dissipated away. I felt the spiritual pressures of several people closing in on my position, and I flew away at supersonic speeds, leaving Kenkaji lying there, in the still burning forest…

**Alright, let me know what you thought of this chapter. I thought I did pretty well, but if you have any tips for improvement, I will consider them. I really do appreciate reviews. Also, I actually already have part of the third chapter typed, so the next chapter might come out relatively soon. Look forward to it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everybody! Sorry I couldn't get this out sooner, but I didn't have any time until recently. Anyways, consider this a Christmas present! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3: The Burning Sword

I was barely awake, but I could still make out the sounds I heard: trees burning, wood snapping and crackling from the fire. I could barely remember anything, but I knew there was a fire, and that I was very angry at someone for some reason. But I still couldn't move; I couldn't even open my eyes. I was thankful when I felt several large, familiar spiritual pressures around me. From what I could tell, the people here were Captain Zaraki, Captain Hitsugaia, Captain Unohana, Captain Kyoraku, and Captain Ukitake.

"Toshiro, take care of the fire," Captain Ukitake said.

"On it," Captain Hitsugaia replied, "Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru!" and I heard his zanpakuto roar and dowse the fire with what sounded like a large downpour. I felt a cold, yet gentle hand on my forehead.

"There's small cut on his forehead, just on the verge of bleeding. There's a bruise around the cut, too," the soothing voice of Captain Unohana said, "It's strange, whoever attacked him didn't want to kill him, and yet still struck the head."

"It's puzzling, to say the least," Captain Kyoraku said, "Two incredibly large, Hollow-like spiritual pressures suddenly appear in this area, and then disappear without a trace. We have a real case on our hands, so we should let Squad 9 investigate, and take this boy to Squad 4."

"Damn it," Captain Zaraki's harsh voice rumbled, "I wanted to fight whatever had those spiritual pressures. Seems I just wasted my time coming here." And then I was picked up, and felt the wind of flash step as I was carried to the Seretei.

I must have fallen asleep while being carried, because when I woke up, I was in a bed. And I felt fine, and happy. I opened my eyes and saw that I was inside the Squad 4 emergency room. I sat up to find a concerned Captain Ukitake standing over my bed.

"How are you feeling, Kenkaji?" he asked.

"I feel a lot better, thank you." I replied.

"Oh no, don't thank me," the Captain said with his hands raised, "Captain Unohana deserves the credit for treating you."

Captain Unohana was also in the room, and she smiled warmly at me. I smiled back and said, "Thank you, Captain."

"It was no trouble at all," she replied, "You should get some more rest though; your body went through more than just a cut to the forehead."

"Oh, thank you, but I'm feeling a lot better, so I think I'll go back to my squa—" the Captain suddenly had a fierce look in her eyes, while somehow keeping her expression the same.

"You should stay and rest a little while longer, Kenkaji," she repeated, but with the slightly sinister undertone that only she was famous, or infamous, for. I looked at Captain Ukitake. His eyes were wide, and he ever so slightly nodded his head, and I decided to lie back down. "Thank you," she said, with her usual sweetness.

"Well, I'll check on you later, Kenkaji," Captain Ukitake said, and he left with a small cough. Captain Unohana left as well, but not before giving me one last look that sent chills down my spine.

When they were gone, I closed my eyes. When I reopened them, I was standing, surrounded by darkness. _"You have already forgotten,"_ a voice I knew all too well said from nowhere. Then he appeared: a giant red dragonfly with a red-striped Hollow mask with several eye holes on.

"Just what is it that I have forgotten, Kagerouniiro?" I replied with a tired tone.

"Don't irritate me, boy," he said with a warning, "What you have forgotten is the other Soul Reaper boy who we recently found out has a Hollow mask as well. The boy you have been competing with ever since he was admitted into Squad 13. You have forgotten your revenge."

"Revenge," I repeated, as the fight in the forest starting coming back to me, "Yes, I remember now." Anger started to build up inside of me again as Kagerouniiro egged me on.

"Yes," he said, "He always wanted to be better than you,"

"He always wanted to advance to the fifth seat, my seat!" I went on, "There's no way he's moving me down to sixth seat; that'll happen over—"

"His dead body," the Hollowfied spirit of my zanpakuto finished,

"Yes," I replied darkly, as a similar Hollow mask appeared on my face, my eyes now a piercing red.

"We cannot allow his Hollow powers to become stronger than ours. Wait for the time when our power will be the strongest tonight, and then find him, and _kill him."_ Kagerouniiro said as he disappeared.

I closed my eyes, and opened them to find myself back in my bed in the Squad 4 hospital. I looked at the clock and saw that thirty minutes had passed, since I first woke up here. I decided that that was long enough to rest, and got up and opened up a window, and flash stepped out of there, plotting my revenge. Tenkaji Kumoshiro would not live to see tomorrow's sunrise!

_Meanwhile..._

When Captain Ukitake had walked out of Kenkaji's room, Captain Unohana had followed him. They went into an empty room and closed the door. Captain Unohana looked serious. Ukitake reflected her seriousness.

"You found more than a cut, didn't you, Captain Unohana?" Ukitake asked the Squad 4 captain. Her expression remained the unchanged.

"I found small specs of what appeared to be a Hollow mask around his head, and Squad 9 found the same specs in the spot where Kenkaji was found, and other specs in a different spot in the forest." Unohana said.

"Is it what we fear?" Ukitake asked.

"Nothing is certain yet, but Squad 12 is currently analyzing the fragments I found. They'll let us know what they find," Unohana replied.

"The mere fact that Head Captain Yamamoto sent five captains to see what was going on when those two spiritual pressures arose means that we're dealing with something we might not be able to handle," Ukitake said, worriedly, "And if one of those creatures turns out to be Kenkaji, then Head Captain will surely order him to be…" He couldn't bring himself to say the last word. Ukitake always grew attached his subordinates, a little too attached sometimes.

He held his head in his hands, and coughed a little. "It'll be Rukia all over again."

Unohana put a soft hand on the captain of Squad 13's shoulder. "Don't worry Jushiro," she said soothingly, "Like I said, nothing is certain yet." But deep down, both she and Ukitake knew that Kenkaji had to be one of those creatures; and they both knew that if he wasn't taken care of, he could kill plenty of souls within the Soul Society.

They went back to Kenkaji's room. They opened the door and gasped when they saw that his bed was empty, and the window open. Captain Ukitake gritted his teeth and ran up to the window.

"What do you think you're doing, Jushiro?" Captain Unohana asked angrily, "You can't go after him with your condition!"

Captain Ukitake stepped on the windowsill, and looked back at the captain of Squad 4. "I'm sorry, Retsu, but I have to track him down. If the order to execute him is issued, then it should be me that does it, no one else. I'm sorry." He flashed stepped out of the building, leaving Unohana slightly angry and surprised that he had resisted her. The least she could do now, she thought, was check the results from the Department of Research and Development, and send someone after him. She remembered something else too. That fool, she thought, didn't he know that his squad had training today, as well?

_Meanwhile..._

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of Squad 12, and President of the Department of Research and Development, was analyzing the fragments of the Hollow masks Squad 9 found. He found some small traces of spiritual pressure and DNA on both sets of fragments. He was now comparing them to Kenkaji Mondaichi, the Soul Reaper found in the same place as one of the sets of fragments. Yep, the same, Kenkaji was definitely one the reported "Hollow-like spiritual pressures" last night. He yawned. How boring, he thought, that was no challenge at all. He hoped the other one would provide a bit more of a test for his deductive skills.

He decided to try and figure it out without doing a test first. Kenkaji was in Squad 13, and whoever he was fighting must been someone very similar to him in many ways; a kind of rival. Kenkaji was a prodigy, the second youngest Soul Reaper ever admitted into the 13 Court Guard Squads, so his rival must also be a prodigy, around his age, and very close in seat number. He opened his eyes with an answer in mind and ran a DNA test with the other set of fragments. The test held the result he deducted.

Tenkaji Kumoshiro, the 6th seat of Squad 13. The Captain wished he could capture him and the other as specimens, and take a look at how their Hollow-like powers work, but the Head Captain wanted these results as soon as possible. "Nemu!" he shouted, although she was right behind him the whole time, "Bring these results to Head Captain Yamamoto immediately," He was feeling lazy today, but he'd never admit that.

"Yes, sir," she responded meekly, as she was handed a piece of paper with the results on it. She flash-stepped out of the room, but not before politely bowing to Captain Unohana, who was walking in as Nemu went out.

"You know, the Head Captain is going to wonder why you didn't come down there yourself to deliver the results," Unohana said to the mad scientist.

"Well, I've already sent Nemu, so there's no point in changing that now," he replied. He didn't like it when the captain of Squad 4 visited him; he was always reminded of how she's cured every poison he's ever created; so far, "Now why are you here, Captain Unohana?" he turned around in his chair to face her.

"I came here to see the results myself, but I guess we'll all know them soon enough," she said.

"Why would you need to see the results in person?" Kurotsuchi asked.

Unohana's face turned serious once more. "Kenkaji has run away."

So much for using him as a test subject, Kurotsuchi thought. "That's rather important news now, Captain Unohana, shouldn't you be going directly to the Head Captain for that?"

"Yes, in fact I was just on my way out." She replied, but as she was about to flash-step out of there, a Hell Butterfly appeared in the lab. Head Captain Yamamoto's voice sounded from it.

"Attention all Soul Reapers! Two Soul Reapers: Kenkaji Mondaichi and Tenkaji Kumoshiro, have been deemed a major threat to everyone in the Soul Society. They are to be executed on sight by anyone who finds them. They are currently with Squad 13 at the training grounds outside of the Seretei, meaning they haven't heard this order. Use that to your advantage! Go now, and eliminate them before they eliminate the residents of the Soul Society!" The Hell Butterfly disappeared.

"Well, you best let him know right away," Kurotsuchi said, but Unohana was already gone. He sighed. "I guess I should go join hunt for Tenkaji, but I'm probably far behind already. Oh well. Why am I so lazy today?"

"Why, indeed, you're almost as lazy as I am most of the time," a low voice chuckled from the door of the lab. Kurotsuchi turned toward the door, and saw the familiar hat and flower robe of Captain Kyoraku.

"What do you want?" Kurotsuchi said, in a tired tone, "Shouldn't you be finding those two Soul Reapers?"

"Nah, search and destroy's not my style," Kyoraku replied, "If they find me, then maybe I'll fight, but there's no guarantee. Besides, I think we both know one of them's being taken care of as we speak." He grinned. Kurotsuchi was about to ask him how he knew about kenkaji, when another Hell Butterfly appeared.

"Attention any remaining Soul Reapers!" The Head Captain's voice boomed, "It has come to my attention that Kenkaji Mondaichi's whereabouts are currently unknown. To any Soul Reaper who finds and kills him, they shall receive a reward. These threats must be stopped by any means necessary!" and the butterfly disappeared.

"A reward? That's not Old Man Yama's usual style," Kyoraku noted, "My guess is there's more to his motives than threats to people's lives, but whether or not that's true, that was my cue to go. See ya later, Mayuri." Without waiting for a response, he flash-stepped out of there.

Kurotsuchi huffed. "I don't really know what that hippie was talking about, and I don't really care. Nemu! Bring me some tea!" Nemu had just come back to the lab; she bowed, and walked back out of the room. "I think I'll invent something for fighting these Hollow-like spiritual pressures." He smiled maniacally as he grabbed some tools_._

_Meanwhile..._

I woke up with a start. I had a slight headache, and as I felt my head I realized I didn't have my Hollow mask on. I took a look around me and saw that the sun was up completely, and that I was on top of some kind of mountain. A thought struck me: my squad would notice my absence. "I've got to get back to the Seretei!" I said aloud as I flash stepped back toward the residence of Soul Reapers.

As I went back, I thought, when did I learn flash step? Then I remembered the Adjucha residing within my mind, and I could feel him smile. I decided to forget about it for now and just focus on the task at hand. I arrived at the training grounds where Squad 13 was supposed to train today. Some of the squad members gave me weird glances; Rukia's was slightly longer than the others. Kiyone and Sentaro were taking attendance; they didn't seem to notice I wasn't there before, because their glances went right over me as they finished.

The Captain was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't unusual. What bothered me was that Kenkaji wasn't here either.

"Alright, let's get down to business," Sentaro said, "Once again, our beloved Captain Ukitake is too sick to help train all of you, but like always, you have me!" He pointed to himself in a dorky fashion as Kiyone looked irritated. She walked up next to him and said loudly, "And don't forget me!" as she knocked Sentaro off balance.

He got back up and shouted, "How could they forget you, Kiyone, when you're so loud?"

"Your voice is hardly any quieter!" Kiyone shouted back. They proceeded to throw more insults at each other, completely forgetting about the rest of us, and we sweatdropped at the familiar sight of the two 3rd seats squabbling. I was about to start training the squad myself, being the next highest seat officer, until I felt a huge spiritual pressure. Not a second later, the captain of Squad 6, Byakuya Kuchiki, appeared with his sword raised for an attack!

I didn't have any time to be confused as he swung his sword at me. I jumped back, barely in time, as he disappeared. I felt him reappear behind me, and I drew my sword as I turned around, blocking his attack. For a second, I saw his face; it looked almost the same as always, expressionless, but I noticed a slight hint of urgency, too, like he had to kill me as soon as possible. He flashed-stepped back a few yards, and was about to say something, when Rukia shouted, "Brother! What are you doing?"

He looked at her, and then back at me, and said, "An order has been issued by Head Captain Yamamoto to eliminate Kenkaji Mondaichi and Tenkaji Kumoshiro as soon as possible. They have been deemed a major threat to everyone in the Soul Society." He left no one any time to gasp or think that over as he added, "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

His zanpakuto glowed bright pink and then broke apart into a thousand pieces, all headed toward me. I flashed-stepped up into the air, and the pieces followed. Crap, I thought, they're going to catch up to me! I flash-stepped to the left. Then some of the pieces split off from the stream that was coming at me, and formed another stream. I looked at the ground and saw Captain Kuchiki disappear. My eyes widened as he reappeared above me, the streams now converging back into his sword as he prepared to strike me.

I flashed-stepped to the ground just before his blade hit me; but he was expecting that, because his blade shot down toward me as a stream of pink pieces again. I dodged, as the stream dug into the ground. Then I felt two more powerful spiritual pressures as Captain Komamura, and Captain Zaraki appeared, with their lieutenants. My squad had moved away during the fight, Kiyone and Sentaro had long since stopped fighting, and they all seemed confused and worried for me. We hadn't heard the order because we were outside the Seretei, and as a result we had no warning. _I_ had no warning.

Suddenly, I felt someone stab me in the back. I quickly turned around, and saw Captain Soi Fon with her Suzumebachi on her finger, and I felt the butterfly shaped mark appear where she stabbed me. She disappeared and reappeared behind me, and I blocked her attack with my zanpakuto. She continued to try and attack the mark on my back, and I continued to block her. Then I heard what sounded like rustling leaves, and saw Captain Kuchiki's Senbonzakura coming at me in a thin line. I flash-stepped away next to a tree, and then Captain Komamura's Tengen came down on me.

I was running out of options. Why was I deemed a threat? I had much more control over my Hollow side than Kenkaji did. But the order had been issued, and I couldn't dodge forever, especially against these captains. _I didn't become a part of your mind just so I would die a day later,_ the Adjucha said, _Byakuya may be the fastest Soul Reaper here, but he's not faster than the speed of sound. Hurry up and use your bankai to get us out of here!_ He was right, I thought, although I didn't like to admit it. I had to get as far away from them as fast as possible.

"Sing, Hachidori!" I shouted, as my blade extended and started humming. I increased its pitch as it clashed with Komamura's Tengen. I continued to increase the pitch to earsplitting screech, and finally, I cut through Tengen, causing the disembodied arm of Komamura's shikai to disappear, and his real sword to break in half. He gaped at his blade and then looked at mine.

I got up and flash-stepped into the air to avoid another stream of Senbonzakura. I shouted, "Bankai!" and I grew thin, feathery wings that vibrated very fast to keep me aloft. "Choo-onsoku Hachidori." My squad members gasped at this, and Captain Zaraki smirked at my increased spiritual pressure. The other Captains gritted their teeth. I then turned around, and sped away with a loud **BOOM**, shattering the sound barrier.

I landed in the mountains somewhere, and when I didn't detect any spiritual pressures for fifteen minutes, I sealed my zanpakuto and lay down on my back. I just needed to digest everything that had happened. I decided to start with why I had been deemed a major threat.

I knew that they sent out five captains to see what was going on the night of mine and Kenkaji's fight, but I didn't think that our spiritual pressures were quite that strong to make that necessary. Everything felt too early; my bankai, using Hollow powers; it was all premature. Was that what Head Captain Yamamoto was worried about? Our powers maturing? But what did he have to worry about? No Soul Reaper has been born in a thousand years that was stronger than hi-; then I realized, that was it. It wasn't just that we were a threat to the Soul Society; we were a threat to _him_.

Speaking of we, where was Kenkaji? _That doesn't matter right now,_ the Adjucha said, _right now, you need to train. I'm sure we'll have to fight off the captains again, and it's only a matter of time before they find you._ I know that, I thought back. I sat up as I pulled out my zanpakuto and held it in my lap. I closed my eyes and started concentrating on it. But my concentration was cut short when I heard a voice that said, "I've found you."


End file.
